DUST Search - Why I'm not buying Omega Boosters

Aeon Amadi wrote:

Protected Void wrote:

Aeon Amadi wrote:

There is a -HUGE- difference in the long term. From Passive SP alone there's a difference of 672,000 SP -per month- disparity. That is an insanely high difference when you compare the time it takes for a new player to gain the skills he needs to be competitive with older players and being as there is no limitation for new players specifically to purchase it, the disparity is only further increased for the older players who have money.

The only limitation to this is the fact that you can't go higher than level 5 in a particular skill.

Ok...since you're comparing no booster to Omega booster (rather than regular booster to Omega booster), what you have a problem with is boosters in general, and not Omega boosters in particular? In any case, though, newer players get a lot more bang for their buck when they buy a booster. They could, as an example, take their proficiency level in a weapon from nothing to level 3 or 4 (can't remember the exact numbers). A vet might be at proficiency level 4 already. Those 672000 extra SP are still 100000 or so short of prof. level 5. The new player gets an additional 9 or 12 percent extra damage in the same period that the vet gets closer to having another 3%.

Aeon Amadi wrote:

Just because it works and it makes CCP money does not mean that it isn't impacting the game in a negative way. F2P statistics aren't usually used in competitive games like Dust 514 where the entire point is kill other players. The only other games that I can think of that have these features are probably Battlefield: Play-4-Free which is largely considered an abomination and Combat Arms which was terrible in it's own right.

On console, sure. There have been so few F2P titles on console that no-one really knows how and if it can work. On other platforms, there's a lot of stats to pull from. League of Legends, for example, is a hugely successful F2P game very much about killing other players. I haven't played it enough to comment on any specifics regarding the monetization, though.

Aeon Amadi wrote:

Again, wiser marketing choices that don't interfere with actual game play - or do so in a creative way that benefits new players, or brings back older players who no longer play the game. The justification of 'monetary gain' is the reason free-to-play games fail.

No, the justification of exaggerated monetary gain is one reason F2P games fail. And a complete or total lack of monetary gain is another. The trick is finding the balance, which I'm sure is something CCP is working on all the time.

You ignore the fact that League of Legends only has monetary option for cosmetic items and faster access to new characters - but those new characters are continuously rolled out so that new players who don't buy them can still try them out at some point. It has absolutely no impact on the game's balance what-so-ever, a player can be effective without ever spending money. Dust 514, on the other hand, you're not effective against the competition until you have certain skills allocated - especially the 'necessary' skills like Armor/Shield Upgrades which increase your base HP on ALL suits.

While you bring up good points on monetary gain, you're still ignoring the fact that it's creating disparity between those who pay and those who don't - which is bad, very bad.

I encourage you to look at this chart I've made: http://i.imgur.com/yFyqC0V.png


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2-Ton Twenty-One Ancient Exiles 979	Posted - 2013.09.30 13:33:00 - [1] - Quote OP is ignorant, Money will always win in XP based grind games and any MMO. Even if there was 0 boosters, you could just pay someone in china to grind accounts for you for a few dollars a day every day, and sit back and reap the rewards. Same goes for power leveling in other MMO's or making cash in eve with botting or Chinese grinders. You could AFK or bot dust if you wanted to as well not be hard this game is just not worthwhile enough to have the demand that would create that market. As well as many other forms of boosting available. I could come up with hundreds of ways to get a advantage over some legitimately playing scrub. And 99% of them are pretty easy to implement today and I know they all work. And hell you could always work more if you wanted boosters. And if you picking between gaming and food, you have a problem, and I do not feel sorry for you at all. Its like you want to get ahead but you don't want to admit you might have to pay to do it. or your gonna have to pay with your time either way its a you problem, and if you don't get it any F2P game uses these psychological tactics to get your money so get used to it.
2-Ton Twenty-One Ancient Exiles 979	Posted - 2013.09.30 13:38:00 - [2] - Quote Aeon Amadi wrote: Protected Void wrote: Aeon Amadi wrote: There is a -HUGE- difference in the long term. From Passive SP alone there's a difference of 672,000 SP -per month- disparity. That is an insanely high difference when you compare the time it takes for a new player to gain the skills he needs to be competitive with older players and being as there is no limitation for new players specifically to purchase it, the disparity is only further increased for the older players who have money. The only limitation to this is the fact that you can't go higher than level 5 in a particular skill. Ok...since you're comparing no booster to Omega booster (rather than regular booster to Omega booster), what you have a problem with is boosters in general, and not Omega boosters in particular? In any case, though, newer players get a lot more bang for their buck when they buy a booster. They could, as an example, take their proficiency level in a weapon from nothing to level 3 or 4 (can't remember the exact numbers). A vet might be at proficiency level 4 already. Those 672000 extra SP are still 100000 or so short of prof. level 5. The new player gets an additional 9 or 12 percent extra damage in the same period that the vet gets closer to having another 3%. Aeon Amadi wrote: Just because it works and it makes CCP money does not mean that it isn't impacting the game in a negative way. F2P statistics aren't usually used in competitive games like Dust 514 where the entire point is kill other players. The only other games that I can think of that have these features are probably Battlefield: Play-4-Free which is largely considered an abomination and Combat Arms which was terrible in it's own right. On console, sure. There have been so few F2P titles on console that no-one really knows how and if it can work. On other platforms, there's a lot of stats to pull from. League of Legends, for example, is a hugely successful F2P game very much about killing other players. I haven't played it enough to comment on any specifics regarding the monetization, though. Aeon Amadi wrote: Again, wiser marketing choices that don't interfere with actual game play - or do so in a creative way that benefits new players, or brings back older players who no longer play the game. The justification of 'monetary gain' is the reason free-to-play games fail. No, the justification of exaggerated monetary gain is one reason F2P games fail. And a complete or total lack of monetary gain is another. The trick is finding the balance, which I'm sure is something CCP is working on all the time. You ignore the fact that League of Legends only has monetary option for cosmetic items and faster access to new characters - but those new characters are continuously rolled out so that new players who don't buy them can still try them out at some point. It has absolutely no impact on the game's balance what-so-ever, a player can be effective without ever spending money. Dust 514, on the other hand, you're not effective against the competition until you have certain skills allocated - especially the 'necessary' skills like Armor/Shield Upgrades which increase your base HP on ALL suits. While you bring up good points on monetary gain, you're still ignoring the fact that it's creating disparity between those who pay and those who don't - which is bad, very bad. I encourage you to look at this chart I've made: http://i.imgur.com/yFyqC0V.png LOL is a not a MMORPG, its just a MMO it has 0 progression, from a MMO standpoint its a simulation. And money can still get you ahead in that game from the keyboard and mouse you use to all the other peripherals and the fact that if you wanted to play professionally you would have to buy chars anyway. There is even a player win % map that shows people who buy chars but play the same amount of hours as people who don't put any money into the game have much higher win percentages over the non buyers, simply from the fact that when you go through team selection being able to pick form a larger pool of familiar chars makes all the difference and can build much more competent teams.